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Monday, April 23, 2012

It's Actually Happening

Imagine waiting for Christmas to come for four years. On Christmas Eve you'd probably have a mixture of excitement and disbelief. Would tomorrow really come? What was going to happen when it did? Would it be everything you'd hoped for? Those mixed-up feelings are probably the best way I can describe what I'm experiencing right now, since tomorrow my debut novel comes out.

When I sat down four years ago and wrote what is now more or less the first chapter of my book, OLDSOUL, I really didn't have any idea what I had started. I didn't actually set out to write a book at all. I've always enjoyed writing, and had played with the idea of writing a book for a while. But it wasn't until after I'd written that chapter that I thought hey, maybe I could make something out of it.

From that point it became a goal and a dream to have the book published and for people outside my family to read it. It's been a roller coaster ride ever since then, and it's exciting to finally be just one day away from the dream coming true. I'm not counting on it becoming a bestseller. I'm definitely not expecting everyone who reads it to love it. But hopefully the majority of those who read it will find it worth their time.

On the long path to publication, I've learned a ton about the industry and about myself, and have met some amazing people. One of the most important things I've learned is that you can make that dream come true. It takes hard work. It takes putting yourself in situations well out of your comfort zone. It takes learning when to give in and when to fight for the story you want to tell. But it's possible.

The world won't be changed because my book comes out tomorrow. I understand that. But at the very least I'll have some fun stories to tell my kids about the whole experience. And I'll be able to tell them that like so many other things in life, it's worth every second of hard work. Now excuse me while I go put some milk and cookies out.